1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a marine surface drive unit of the type utilizing an inboard engine driving a propeller disposed rearward of the transom of an associated boat hull and at an elevation such that the water level immediately rearward of the hull transom, during high speed operation of the hull, is generally registered with the center of the hub portion of the propeller, the propeller and an oscillatable rudder disposed rearward thereof being mounted from a front to rear extending support arm mounted from the transom for up and down oscillation of the rear end thereof, the rudder being carried by the support arm rear end and the propeller being journaled from a depending strut carried by the support arm forward of the rear end thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Various different forms of outdrive-type boat propulsion systems including some of the general structural and operational features of the instant invention here-to-fore have been provided. Examples of these previous known propulsion systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,956,536, 2,999,476, 3,253,569, 4,089,289, 4,382,796, 4,403,969 and 4,432,737. However, these previously known propulsion systems do not comprise surface drive propulsion systems, nor do they offer the convenience of a vertically raiseable and lowerable marine propeller propulsion system incorporating an inboard engine and devoid of gearing exteriorly of the associated hull.